Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.

Guest column by Maria Ross: As we enter the sixth year following the recession, small businesses are still struggling during the slow recovery. Tepid sales require an extra boost to stay afloat. More capital, however, is not the answer; the real “stimulus” is to get smarter about how they reach their target customers.

Many small business owners panic, spending more on the next new social media platform or advertising trend. While one tactic may be perfect for one business, it can be a money-burner for another.

How can businesses increase sales without increasing spending? The simplest solution is to stop performing “random acts of marketing,” and craft or revisit your brand strategy to make smarter marketing moves rather than more of them.

A brand strategy is not simply your tactical marketing plan but is more foundational. It informs operations, offerings, policies, hiring and even aesthetic, articulating:
• Ideal target customer: “Everyone” is not a market! Flesh them out in vivid detail, not as a vague demographic. Who are they, what do they desire, fear, need? This step alone ensures each tactic works harder and reaches the right people every time.
• Value: Your positioning benefits should appeal to your ideal customer’s buying drivers. This step is often overlooked, with businesses touting benefits their target audience does not need or care about.
• Personality: What authentic style and tone will appeal to your target audience and stand out from the competition? Playful and whimsical? Conservative and trusted? How you speak and act is just as important as what you say and do.

A strong brand is not about bigger budgets: it’s about clearly and consistently communicating the right message to the right audience at the right time.

Successful companies realize that creating a brand strategy before diving into tactics means less wasted time and money. A simple ten-question brand strategy process is in the second edition of my book, “Branding Basics for Small Business,” which includes case studies such as Washington businesses DRY Soda, Portage Bay Cafe and CRAVE, to show how they use a clear brand strategy to make smart, cost-effective marketing decisions.

Seattle’s Sir Lancelot’s Armor makes high quality smart phone and tablet screen protectors out of bullet-proof glass, offering protection from bad weather, hammers and even buckshot. While the products have wide market appeal, the company’s brand specifically targets young professionals and tech power users.

Sales were slow even though the company was spending on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and keyword buys. “Everyone told us online marketing was our answer, but we weren’t getting traction,” says CEO Jon Cyr. “so we revisited the brand strategy and realized the way to increase awareness with our target was to show them the product. Once people see it, the product sells itself.”

They reallocated spending into targeted PR and sales skyrocketed. The brand strategy focused them toward specific media outlets such as Seattle’s KING 5, The Discovery Channel, and USA Today. This adjustment yielded more sales in a one-month period than the previous two months combined, with one day even seeing a 10x sales boost – without increasing overall budget.

LaVassar Florist has a similar story. In business for 48 years, they relied on loyal customer word of mouth to get through the recession. But acquiring new customers is a constant goal.

“We have a very personal, hand-crafted, local brand so mass marketing is not a good fit. There’s too much noise,” says owner Judy LaVassar “We wanted to leverage the internet but working through wire services like FTD doesn’t allow us to express our brand’s unique artistry because we’re forced to offer a cookie-cutter product.”

Their brand strategy led LaVassar to BloomNation instead. Customers nationwide send flowers to a Seattleite by finding LaVassar on BloomNation.com and can choose a unique hand-crafted arrangement right from the local florist’s website. LaVassar gets more control over the customer’s brand experience and loyalty. The best part? There are no extra upfront costs since BloomNation simply takes a 10 percent commission.

Think twice before assuming more budget and stimulus dollars are the answer to sales challenges. Instead, craft or revisit a strong brand strategy first and adjust your tactics to reach your goals without spending more to get there.

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.